Emmanuel Sanchez left no doubt when he squared off with Daniel Weichel for the second time.
Looking to avenge his split-decision loss from over four years ago, Sanchez (20-4 MMA, 12-3 BMMA) met Weichel (40-12 MMA, 9-4 BMMA) in the grand prix quarterfinals at Bellator 252, which took place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
Both men came out firing, and engaged in some heated exchanges on the feet. Sanchez found a home for his right hand on numerous occasions as he landed the more significant strikes. Sanchez continued to pressure Weichel and dropped him with a thunderous liver shot that had the German fighter grimacing in pain. Sanchez poured on the pressure, but Weichel managed to survive.
After a strong second round, Sanchez continued to dominate in Round 3. A tough Weichel struggled with a leg injury while Sanchez continued to pick him apart with a varied attack, and even landed a late takedown ten route to a unanimous decision win that moved him on to the featherweight grand prix semifinals.
Sanchez will continue his revenge tour when he meets reigning featherweight champion Patricio Freire in the main event of Bellator 255 on April 2. The bout is a rematch of their November 2018 bout that Freire won by unanimous decision.
Before Sanchez rematches Freire (31-4 MMA, 19-4 BMMA), relive his win over Weichel in the video above.